Results matching “Aaron Hill”

Exciting day for utility infielders! First the Phillies signed Ronny Cedeno and now Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com reports that the Astros have signed Cesar Izturis to a minor-league deal. Izturis spent last season with the Reds, hitting .209 with zero homers and a .530 OPS in 63 games at age 31. He’s one of the…

Indians starter Justin Masterson will file for salary arbitration on Tuesday in his third and final year of arbitration eligibility. Paul Hoynes of The Plain-Dealer reports that the Indians and Masterson will discuss a multi-year extension in the days leading up to the official filing of arbitration figures. Masterson, who turns 29 years old in…

Part I: A short history First, just a little bit of history. The Baseball Hall of Fame, more or less, was the brainchild of two people. The first knew nothing whatsoever about baseball. The second romanticized the game beyond all reason. You can think about whose spirit still lingers over Cooperstown, N.Y. The first was…

Journeyman catcher Humberto Quintero has re-signed with the Mariners on a minor-league contract that includes an invitation to spring training. Quintero has played 11 seasons in the majors for five different teams without ever topping 300 plate appearances in any year, but at age 34 he’s pretty borderline as even a backup-caliber catcher. Last season…

Here’s the rundown of where this winter’s top 150 free agents are landing, continuously updated throughout the offseason. Re-signings are posted in red, while players signing with new teams are in blue. Stars denote players who received qualifying offers and thus will cost their new team a draft pick if they sign elsewhere. (Non-tenders have…

Brian Kenny is not an official Baseball Hall of Fame voter. If he did have a vote, however, it’d go a little something like this: My HOF ballot: Maddux, Thomas, Raines, Biggio, Schilling, Martinez, McGriff, Glavine, Mussina, Trammell. @CHConfidential — Brian Kenny (@MrBrianKenny) December 20, 2013 In the interest of full disclosure: I do not…

Don Mattingly is unhappy about the possibility of entering 2014 in the final year of his contract, but the Dodgers manager declined to address the topic yesterday during what Dylan Hernandez of the Los Angeles Times called an “awkward” press conference. Two months ago there was speculation that Mattingly might quit if he didn’t get…

Minnesota has been linked to Bronson Arroyo all offseason and today the free agent right-hander told Mark Sheldon of MLB.com that the Twins, Phillies, and Angels were among the teams he’s had talks with. And now Ken Rosenthal of FOXSports.com reports that the Twins are “making a push” for Arroyo with “talks gaining momentum.” Arroyo…

Three years ago Roy Halladay was arguably the best pitcher in the National League, going 19-6 with a 2.36 ERA while finishing runner-up in the Cy Young voting to Clayton Kershaw after winning the award the previous season. And now, as Jim Salisbury of CSN Philly tweeted, Halladay is retiring at age 36 after struggling…

Here’s a weird story from Philly.com about the Minnesota Twins and the WWE: Nikki and Brie Bella, born Nicole and Brianna Garcia-Colace, joined the WWE in 2007. The WWE named them the Bella Twins and trademarked the name, which is a very common practice from the company. The Twins have apparently taken offense to this…

After interviewing for multiple manager openings and not getting the jobs there was speculation that Tim Wallach might prefer to be a bench coach for the Dodgers and sure enough the team announced that he’ll switch from third base coach to bench coach in 2014. Wallach replaces Trey Hillman, who was let go as bench…

Dodgers third base coach Tim Wallach was a finalist for the manager gigs in Detroit and Seattle, but now that he’s been passed over for Brad Ausmus and Lloyd McClendon he may switch roles in Los Angeles. Ken Gurnick of MLB.com reports that the Dodgers are considering shifting Wallach from third base coach to bench…

Reed Johnson is a free agent after the Braves declined his $1.6 million option for 2014, paying him a $150,000 buyout instead. Johnson was useful in a part-time role, but then missed most of the second half with an Achilles’ tendon injury. He finished hitting .244 with one homer and a .653 OPS in 136…

This year’s annual free agents column has expanded to a top 150, though I’m writing up just the top 55 (it was going to be 50, but I couldn’t help myself). The rest are presented in a list. Not included are players whose contract options are sure to be exercised. Players are ranked based not…

Adrian Cardenas was a Phillies first-round pick in 2006 and established himself as a solid second base prospect, getting traded to the A’s for Joe Blanton in mid-2008. He hit .292 at Triple-A and got a cup of coffee with the Cubs last season, appearing in 45 games as a 24-year-old, but decided not to…

Carlos Zambrano, whose comeback attempt with the Phillies ended when he was released from Triple-A in July, is currently pitching in the Venezuelan Winter League in the hopes of making another run at the big leagues in 2014. Paul Sullivan of the Chicago Tribune reports that Zambrano feels healthy now after blaming shoulder problems on…

After interviewing a handful of candidates to replace Rick Adair as pitching coach the Orioles have settled on Braves minor-league pitching coordinator Dave Wallace. Wallace previously was pitching coach for the Dodgers, Mets, Red Sox, and Astros although the 66-year-old hasn’t held that title since 2007. Other candidates known to have interviewed with the Orioles…

What a fascinating baseball career Jim Leyland has had. He was born and raised in Toledo, less than an hour from Detroit, and he was a no-hit minor-league catcher for the Tigers for seven years. He was one of those ballplayers everyone knew from the start would coach; Leyland was the sort of player who…

Don Mattingly and the Dodgers appear headed for some sort of confrontation with one season remaining on his contract, but in the meantime Bill Shaikin of the Los Angeles Times reports that bench coach Trey Hillman has been fired. Hillman joined Mattingly’s staff in 2011 after being fired as Royals manager following a 152-207 (.423)…

This is about Vin Scully and Jack Buck, but I kind of got lost along the way. Hey, it happens. Three years ago, I posted (with a great deal of help from my editor Larry Burke) the 32 best calls in sports history. In going back to find it, I realized that those 32 calls…

If you’re enjoying Pedro Martinez on TBS’ postseason coverage there’s some more good news: He’s signed a deal with Houghton Mifflin Harcourt to write an autobiography, with an assist from Boston Herald columnist Michael Silverman. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt says the book will be called simply “Pedro” and will contain “lively, raw stories” about his soon-to-be…

Every time an undeniably great baseball player retires — the latest being Mariano Rivera — there will be a handful of people who will wonder: Is he finally the one? Will he become the first unanimous Hall of Famer? In a way, it’s a bizarre concept. How could there have never been a unanimous Hall…

Oh boy, this might be fun. For tonight it’ll be business as usual because the Yankees are playing the Rays and Tampa Bay is going after a playoff spot, but manager Joe Girardi just told reporters that he’s “absolutely” considering using Mariano Rivera in center field during the final series in Houston. Rivera has always…